Tottenham players' fitness savaged after what ex-Spurs scout was told by 'supporter at the stadium'
Roberto De Zerbi’s decision to give his non-international Tottenham Hotspur players the week off comes despite a lack of sharpness in the squad.
That is the opinion of former senior Tottenham scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The Italian’s decision comes amid his own complaints that the Lilywhites are not at their physical peaks, which has been evident in their season so far.
Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday saw them mark a fifth consecutive Premier League game without victory so far this season, leaving them rock bottom for the international break.
De Zerbi now finds himself under significant pressure to find a solution for his team, especially after it was bolstered by more than £400million worth of new players in the summer.
Murmurs of a potential replacement have already begun, although Tottenham will not rush to dismiss the 47-year-old from his long-term contract.
De Zerbi gives his non-international Tottenham players the week off despite complaints about their physical condition #thfc https://t.co/6qgwtEqhA1
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) September 21, 2026
‘I’ve heard what people at Tottenham were saying’
It is hoped that the return of the likes of James Maddison and Mohammed Kudus to the starting line-up will be massively valuable to Tottenham.
The Lilywhites have lacked a natural number 10 so far this season and have struggled to create consistent chances.
Yet they will continue to suffer if the squad’s physical condition does not see a dramatic improvement in the coming weeks.
“I’ve heard what people are saying. I was talking to a supporter and he was saying that he was addressing people who’ve got very expensive seats and stuff at the stadium, – the hospitality boxes and the top stuff,” King told Football Insider.
“And he said one of the problems is that the players don’t seem to be fit. He’s had all summer to get them fit. He’s had a full pre-season, so I think that’s a poor excuse.
“It looks as though the energy levels at Tottenham certainly aren’t what you’d expect. I was expecting more at the start of this season because, new manager, I’m not sure about the players they brought in, but spending a lot of money, you’d be expecting results.
“And they’ve started off exactly the way they’ve been playing for the last two years. Things have got to change at Tottenham, that’s for sure. Results are the big thing.”
Roberto De Zerbi’s fitness complaints
Speaking after Tottenham’s 0-0 draw with Everton earlier this month, De Zerbi said: “Now I think we played very well in the first 30 minutes.
“Then maybe we lost energy because our physical condition is not the best and we are working for that.”
Similarly, after Tottenham’s defeat to Villa on Saturday, the Italian explained: “The players who go with the national team, they have to play and they have to work, and the other players – [James] Maddison, [Conor] Gallagher, [Dominic] Solanke, Tosin [Adarabioyo], [Marcos] Senesi, Savio – for sure, we have to work more because also the physical condition, I didn’t like even this game.”
De Zerbi has been able to identify the problem, but he must now prove that he has the ability to fix it.
